Will Steinman New Look Pink Blue Strapless Back Bow Ballerina Dress - XS, 1950s
By Will Steinman
Located in Tucson, AZ
measurements: bust: 31” underbust / ribcage: 29” waist: 24” bodice length: 8” hips: free skirt length: 32” total length: 40” sweep: 130” (underskirt), 220” (petticoat), 23...
Sold
Size: none; comparable to size S
Will Steinman Pink Strapless Asymmetrical Lace Wedding Ball Gown - Small, 1950s
By Will Steinman
Located in Tucson, AZ
fabric: acetate taffeta, tulle and lace noteworthy: dry clean only alterations: reattached ruffles where necessary condition: very good - excellent with light creasing on taffeta bo...
Sold
Size: none; comparable to size XS
Will Steinman Strapless Gold Metallic Brocade Ball Gown w Rear Bow – XS, 1950s
By Will Steinman
Located in Tucson, AZ
fabric: gold and silver metallic brocade, nylon taffeta, tulle noteworthy: dry clean only alterations: none condition: excellent measurements: bust: 32” underbust: 28” waist: 25...
$440Sale Price|20% Off
Size: Small - Medium
Chic Vintage Evening Trousers / Pants In Navy Blue By Victor Costa
By Victor Costa
Located in San Diego, CA
Incredibly chic vintage Victor Costa high waisted evening trousers! "Is that a skirt?!?!" No, it just looks like one!!! Perfect navy blue color. Tailored pants, with overlays, to mak...
Wonderful 1990s Vintage Katherine Hamnett Black Velvet Wiggle Dress w/ Beads
By KATHERINE HAMNETT
Located in San Diego, CA
Wonderful vintage Katherine Hamnett black velvet dress, with intricate beading detail at neck (in front and back), that makes for a bib-like effect. Rayon/Silk blend. The perfect lit...
$1,695
Size: Medium / Large
Vintage Vicky Tiel Couture 1980s Black Mesh Sweetheart Flirty Cocktail Dress LBD
By Vicky Tiel
Located in San Diego, CA
Beautiful vintage late 80s VICKY TIEL COUTURE mesh sweetheart neckline flirty little black dress! Features the designer's signature flattering ruched bodice (features interior boning...
Dolce&Gabbana Dress Lace Inset Deep V Neck Superb Fit 44 / 8
By Dolce & Gabbana
Located in Miami, FL
Mightychic offes a guaranteed authentic Dolce&Gabbana versatile black dress with lace insets. Chic little black dress has the prettiest lace inset at sweetheart neckline. Lace hin...
$1,200Sale Price|22% Off
Jacques Griffe Navy Blue Sequin Mini Dress & Bolero Circa 1960
By Jacques Griffe
Located in Toronto, Ontario
1960's haute couture Jacques Griffe spaghetti strap mini dress and matching short sleeve bolero with a hook and eye closure. Beautiful hand beaded sequins. Purple silk lining. Very s...
Flamenco Pierced Celluloid Tortoiseshell Pieneta Hair Comb, Spain - 1924
Located in Tucson, AZ
Just one of the treasures brought back from a mother-daughter world tour, this comb was purchased in Spain in 1924. Its impressive width and high profile are perfectly suited for wea...
1970s Halston Couture Black Silk Chiffon Beaded Long Sleeve Vintage 70s Dress
By Halston
Located in San Diego, CA
Exceptional vintage 70s HALSTON Couture black silk chiffon beaded dress and sash belt or head scarf! Features a separate black silk chiffon slip with three layers of chiffon and nude...
New Gucci Shearling GG Guccissima Logo Boots Sz 10
By Gucci
Located in Conroe, TX
Gucci Shearling Boots RARE & Brand New! * Chocolate Color Shearling * U.S. Size: 10 * Super Soft Suede Merino Lambskin Shearling * GG Logo Throughout Shearling! * 1" Front Platfo...
House of Schiaparelli Lava Ice Stone Demi Parure
By Schiaparelli
Located in New York, NY
Schiaparelli's costume jewelery of the 1950's continued the leit motifs from her pre-war and post-war couture collections. Nature,art, ethnic cultures and influences such as surreal...
Silver Plate
James Galanos Cream Silk Cocktail Dress w/ Angel Print, 1970's
By James Galanos, James Galanos for Amelia Gray
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This is a lovely dress made by James Galanos for Amelia Gray Beverly Hills. It is made of a cream colored jacquard with angels woven into the fabric. Itis lined with a cream colored ...
Vintage Giorgio Armani Light Grey + Blue Watercolor Flowers Silk Maxi Skirt
By Giorgio Armani
Located in San Diego, CA
Beautiful vintage GIORGIO ARMANI 1990s silk maxi skirt! Features the most luxurious liquid silk, with multiple chiffon layers. Hidden buttons up the front. Looks fantastic on, and li...
Vicky Tiel Black Jersey Cocktail Dress with Sequin Detail Size 38
By Vicky Tiel
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This Vicky Tiel cocktail dress is composed of a black viscose and rayon blend jersey. There are gathers throughout and a sequin detail (silver and black) at the hem. The bodice featu...
Christian Dior White Leather Shoulder Shopper Bag
By Christian Dior
Located in Philadelphia, PA
This stunning Christian Dior Shoulder bag is in good condition. The exterior features beautiful bone white leather trimmed with matte silver hardware. The double braided handles are ...
Chloe Silver Leather Satin Snakeskin Buckle Shoulder Bag
By Chloé
Located in Philadelphia, PA
Fabulous CHLOE silver buckled shoulder bag in excellent condition. Silver leather, satin, and snakeskin exterior trimmed with a leather and satin shoulder strap and front flap design...
Jean Lutece 1960s Vintage Beaded Black Silk Embellished Coat Dress
By Jean Lutece
Located in San Francisco, CA
Jean Lutece vintage 1960s black silk double breasted coat (or coat dress) with black rhinestone and seed bead embellishment at collar and cuffs. Raw silk features natural slubbing th...
$775
Size: Small - Small Medium
Vintage Henry Rosenfeld 1960s Black Metallic Hand Woven 60s Vintage Sheath Dress
By Henry Rosenfeld
Located in San Diego, CA
Bombshell HENRY ROSENFELD 1960s little black dress! Not just your average lbd: Features black metallic threading throughout that adds just the right amount of excitement! Fully lined...
With entire museum exhibitions dedicated to examining fashion designers and their creations, we’re finally recognizing that costuming is art. Evening dresses over time have conveyed specific statements about social class, position and beliefs. Fashion is a powerful means of self-expression, and sophisticated vintage evening dresses and gowns by our favorite couturier play no small role in making us feel wonderful but, perhaps more importantly, making us feel like ourselves.
In the 16th century, dresses and gowns were so important that England's Queen Elizabeth I defined rules about what dresses women could wear — guidance included long skirts and fitted bodices. Forward-thinking designers have responded to this history.
Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel reimagined traditionally masculine garments for feminine shapes, and her elegant evening dresses and gowns promoted comfort and grace in women’s wear that had been dominated in the previous century by layers of fabric. Christian Dior's gowns celebrated luxury and femininity in the late 1940s — and gave to women the gift of glamour they’d lost in the miserable years of the war. French fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent introduced innovative and highly coveted dress designs in the 1960s while at the same time challenging sexist stereotypes about which members of society could wear tuxedos.
Works by unconventional British designer John Galliano — featured in houses like Givenchy and Dior — redefined limits that dressmakers faced in terms of material, construction and vision during the late 20th century. From his embroidered absinthe-green Oscars gown for actress Nicole Kidman to the iconic sleeveless Dior newspaper dress that Sex and the City’s Carrie Bradshaw made famous, Galliano’s intricate and multifaceted work is reliably collectible and newsworthy
Today’s designers target an increasingly broad audience with their boundary-crossing work, and their tendency to play off of each other’s ideas means that every walk down the runway is also a walk through an entire history of fashion design and dress craftsmanship.
Whether you gravitate toward backless maxi dresses or silk charmeuse gowns by Alexander McQueen or embellished, ruffled floral-print designs by Chloe or Versace, there is an extraordinary collection of vintage and designer evening dresses and gowns waiting for you on 1stDibs.